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Alba quincy racist6/7/2023 ‘There are so many anti-racism guides and resources on the internet, start there. ‘So much labour was done in June 2020,’ Nova tells us. The next step is educating yourself in a way that doesn’t burden the people of colour in your life, adjusting your behaviour where necessary, and being supportive with your voice and your actions wherever you can. It won’t always be easy or comfortable to acknowledge the existence of structural racism, or your privilege within the existing systems, but that is the first step in active anti-racism. Now more than ever, it is clear that simply being “not racist” is not enough. What is needed instead is for people to confront the realities of structural racism in society, acknowledging how they contribute to it, and to work in solidarity with others to challenge it.’ ‘Movements across the globe are demanding an end to racial injustice. ![]() ‘In the UK, hate crime is on the rise, Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority communities are disproportionately dying from Covid-19 and Black people are nine times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. ‘We cannot be more aware of the dangers of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia in our society. ![]() ‘It is not enough to simply be “not racist”, and avoid making discriminatory remarks, it is incumbent on everyone to challenge the structures of racism in Britain,’ she adds. ‘Racism is more than offensive comments, it exists in the very fabric and institutions of our society: in the labour market, in accessing healthcare, in education, in housing and in the criminal justice system.’Īlba says anti-racism means recognising racism in society as systemic, and standing in solidarity with Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in fighting it. ‘Being anti-racist means recognising that racism exists beyond individual surface-level interactions,’ says Alba Kapoor, policy officer at Runnymede Trust. But active anti-racism is a way to take some of that weight off the shoulders of ethnic minorities.Ĭommitting to anti-racism means taking responsibility for your own learning, and your own actions, without needing people of colour to hold your hand through that process. How can I be better? What can I do? Have I ever done anything to offend you?įor people of colour, explaining racism and placating white friends and colleagues, has been a taxing and time-consuming responsibility this year. Particularly this year, Black people and people from other ethnic minority groups, have had to watch white people wake up to the realities of racism in real-time. When it comes to explaining the impact and significance of racism and inequality, so much of that burden still falls to people of colour. ‘It means accepting that unless we start to acknowledge and take individual and collective responsibility to address racism, stop dismissing it as a thing of the past and work to change behaviour, nothing will change.’ Why is it important to be actively anti-racist? ‘It means learning to centre the experiences of Black folk and non-Black people of colour in matters of racism, and not centre white feelings. It means accepting you will have, unconsciously and consciously, learned racism and continue to discriminate and hold racist views about people because of the colour of their skin. ‘Being actively anti-racist means recognising that being a good person doesn’t exempt you from racism. It goes beyond a conscious, overt act of hate. ‘But racism exists beyond the reductive understanding of good or bad people. ‘Most humans fundamentally do not agree in the overt acts of violence and dehumanisation of another human being based on the colour of their skin,’ says Nova. Being not racist absolves you of personal guilt when it comes to racism, but it doesn’t help to solve the problem as a whole, or do anything to help those who experience racism. ![]() ![]() Simply not being racist is entirely passive, she says. She says anti-racism is a decision to adopt certain practices and behaviours in your life that contribute to reducing inequality around you. It is this active element that Nova says is so crucial in anti-racism. ‘We can go to a gym and take pictures to post on social media, or we can go to a gym to actively and consistently work to improve our health and fitness. ‘I find it troubling that, after the year we have had, people are still asking why they need to be anti-racist. ‘Not being racist really is the bare minimum,’ Nova Reid, an anti-racism activist, TED speaker and author, tells .uk.
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